SIUE Intercollegiate Athletics is relishing a new milestone. Cougar student-athletes have compiled 15 consecutive semesters of a cumulative grade point average (GPA) better than 3.0.
SIUE student-athletes completed the 2013 fall semester with a 3.097 GPA. Among the 265 SIUE student-athletes, 60.9 percent completed the term with a GPA of 3.0 or above and 31.3 percent finished the fall semester as members of the Dean’s List with a GPA of 3.5 or above.
“I commend our student-athletes for their continued success in the classroom,” said SIUE Director of Athletics Dr. Brad Hewitt. “SIUE is committed to academic excellence for our student-athletes and will continue to provide a structure in which all can fulfill their academic goals.”
The women’s golf team finished with the highest team GPA for the third-consecutive semester with a 3.598. They were followed by women’s cross country (3.545), women’s soccer (3.321), softball (3.262), men’s golf (3.26), men’s tennis (3.233), women’s tennis (3.222), men’s soccer (3.130), women’s track and field (3.121), volleyball (3.108), women’s basketball (3.103) and baseball (3.03).
“At SIUE, this is a team effort aimed at achieving success both on and off the playing field,” said Hewitt. “It begins during the recruiting process and continues well after our student-athletes graduate.”
Hewitt credited the Academic Support Staff and the strategies implemented since SIUE completed certification to NCAA Division I status.
“We have an outstanding study space for our student-athletes in the Vadalabene Center which gives them the necessary resources to aid their education,” said Hewitt. “Our Academic Support Staff continually monitors the progress of each student-athlete. They make sure each individual stays on track not only during the semester, but also as they progress toward their degree.”
Hewitt said success begins with recruiting student-athletes who share SIUE’s vision of academic success.
“Our coaches continue to recruit top notch student-athletes, who are committed to academic success as well as athletic success,” Hewitt continued. “The academic success of our student-athletes is a reflection of the academic resources the university provides, the outstanding faculty and support of university leadership.”